Saturday, October 18, 2008

First Look - Casshern SINS

Hi again.

Sorry for not posting, but the weeks been very busy. I'll write my actual review either tonight/tomorrow. But, in the mean time, I thought I'd try something new.

The 2008 Fall Anime Season just started and I'm watching 3 or so new shows. So, I figured to get out what I'm watching, and to get more people interested, I'd do a first-look thing. After watching 3 episodes, I'll say what its about, and my views on it. When it finishes, I'll do a complete review.

Casshern SINS

Genre: Action, Drama, Post-Apocalyptic

Summary: Its a post-apocalyptic world, where a now extinct human race has been taken over by robotkind. However, the robots themselves are falling to the ruin, a rust that decimates their bodies, killing them with no cure.

Its all due to Casshern, but as to what he did neither we nor he know - he has a robot amnesia. All that he knows is how to fight. His prey comes from robots who approach with intent to kill, thinking that the ruin will stop and they will gain eternal life by eating him.

Analysis: This will easily become one of my favorite anime. I know that saying this is unprofessional, but this anime ... is FREAKING AWESOME. Let me go over why this is.

For one thing, the drawing style. Its not the style thats used now - its a more classic style, mixed in with some elements. It fits very well with an apocalyptic world setting, and its great for dramatic effects.

The music is blended in so well to the anime that you don't even notice it, yet it still affects your mood. Exactly how BGM [background music] should be.

The writers have made it so that we don't know exactly whats going on, yet we know enough to make it interesting. Its contrary to most other anime, where the hero is introduced to everything in the first episode. In this one, he's just wandering around, trying to make sense of what happened, and figure out what happened to his amnesia. Also, the first scene in each episode, before the opening credits, slowly show what did happen - 5 second blurbs, that we are supposed to be piecing together, backwards, as it is. Its a great way of showing what happened without actually showing it.

Because its a post-apocalyptic world, its filled with people who are on the verge of death. Here's the catch - none of them want to die [big shocker there]. Its very intense, watching their interactions, and what happens. I, for one, was crying at the end of the second episode [watch it, and see why I was doing so. You'll be crying too].

Casshern, without his helmet on.

Casshern, in Battle mode, Part 1

A more full body glimps of casshern. Those two things on his hips have another part to them, but we don't know what they do yet.

Casshern, in Battle Mode, part 2. When he is in this state, he exists only to destroy. Its rather scary.

A landscape shot of the earth. There are quite alot of these as he travels.

A full on view of the ruin.

Most of the ruined robots that try to attack Casshern look something like this.

All in All, this is a great show so far, and I can only think that its going to get better. I suggest that you all go and watch it. Right now. Why are you still reading? Go and watch it!!!